The present invention relates generally to the field of implanted medical devices. More precisely, the invention relates to the detection of pacing stimulus artifacts such as electrocardiogram (ECG) signal pulses that are derived from implanted electronic pacemakers.
Detection of pacing stimulus artifacts from implanted electronic pacemakers is sometimes difficult due to sophisticated and more evolved generations of implanted devices that stimulate the heart muscle. In addition, artifacts in the body surface ECG have gotten smaller and/or more complicated in shape and sequence. Further, the transmission of the pacing stimulus artifacts through biological tissue and the alignment of the ECG sensors with the pacing stimulus transmission vector can modify artifact morphology thereby rendering them more difficult to identify.